Eugene, Ore. - Douglas Allen Brown, 48, of Winston, Oregon, was sentenced to 78 months in prison yesterday by United States District Judge Michael Hogan for possessing child pornography. Brown pleaded guilty on April 27, 2011, to knowingly possessing computer disks and data storage media which contained visual depictions of actual minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Upon release from custody, Brown will serve a 10-year period of supervised release. During his supervised release, he must abide by a number of conditions which include mental health counseling, restricted access to computers and the Internet, and registration as a sex offender.

The case arose from an undercover investigation into the distribution of child pornography via the Internet. On December 9, 2008, a search warrant was served at a home where Brown and co-defendant, Michael Bruce Hays, rented rooms. A search of Brown's computer revealed over 400 still images containing child pornography. On April 27, 2011, Brown pled guilty to possessing child pornography and admitted that the offense involved the possession of material involving prepubescent minors under the age of 12 years and that he possessed 486 images containing child pornography. He also admitted that the images portrayed sadistic and masochistic conduct and other depictions of violence.

Hays pled guilty to possessing child pornography on September 22, 2009. He was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison. More than 16 thousand still images and over 300 videos containing child pornography were found on Hay's computer.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys - Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean B. Hoar.